Gustav had listened intently to Ansem's explanation, but it made less than before.
"Who hired you?" Was the question on Gustav's mind.
"That I cannot tell," Ansem replied. "I promised to keep that a secret."
"This is not the time to be keeping secrets." Gustav was known to be a no-nonsense detective when he was on a case. Every minute counted, every second the clues to solve a murder grew colder and the chances to catch the culprit grew slimmer.
"Why are you keeping secrets from me? After all, we sort of became partners in this," Gustav pointed at his eye, and Ansem saw a brief flash of the hex he had put on him.
Ansem pursed his lips. He realized it was a bad idea to give a hex to a detective.
"Guess we're partners in this," Ansem sighed. "Does that mean you won't arrest me?"
Gustav pondered for a second. Ansem was aware that he had committed a crime by interfering with an active police investigation.
"I never said that. You interfered with a case, and I'll put in the good word for you. I think you'll spend only a few months in jail."
"If you can catch me," Ansem flashed a playful smile.
Gustav walked towards the locked door and examined closely. It resembled an airlock on a ship. That would mean there had to be a method to open it. Whatever was inside was precious enough to lock it, so there had to be a way to get inside in case it needed to be retrieved during an emergency.
Perhaps this was a good time to try out the hex that Ansem gave him. It helped him find those glowing sigils. Maybe it would help him find an alternate entrance to the room.
Gustav focused his gaze on the spots where a secret entrance could've been built. Gustav saw traces of what he could only deduce as footprints. Some of them lead to a few stories below, into the inky blackness. Others lead upwards and to nowhere.
He found what he was looking for at the ledge of the walkway they were standing on. Like a cobblestone path, small patches of translucent light lead the way behind the hexagonal shaped room.
A sharp pain shot through Gustav's body, forcing him to kneel.
"You used the mystic eyes, didn't you?"
Gustav began to take deep breaths to manage the pain running through his body.
"You shouldn't be so reckless, detective." Ansem chided, "your body isn't accustomed to magic."
Gustav breathed in deeply as he stood up. "I felt worse pains in the past. Don't worry about me."
The detective's bravado beguiled Ansem. Hexes were powerful spells. Using them placed a huge strain on the body of mages, and even more in ordinary humans. That he was able to stand back up showed the strength of the detective's spirit. But it wouldn't be long before his body crumbled. What would the detective do then?
"Anyway," Gustav pointed at the spot where he saw the path. "I found us a path, or at least I think it is."
"You did?"
Ansem reached into the pocket of his suit and drew out a small bag. Then he grabbed a handful of silver-tinged dust and threw it over the place Gustav had pointed.
Indeed, there was a path that lead behind the hexagonal room.
"Impressive trick." Ansem was amused at the technique used to hide the path. "Come detective, it's time to walk the tightrope."
Throwing the silver dust over the path, Gustav and Ansem made their way to the back of the room. To Gustav, it felt like walking on air. Beneath his feet lay a gaping abyss. One mistake and he would fall to his death.
"Have you done this before?" Gustav asked.
"Maybe once, a long time ago." Ansem replied. "Exhilarating, isn't it?"
"That's not the word I would use."
At the end of the path, a door greeted them. Unlike the one at the front, it looked less heavy, and perhaps easier to break into.
"Perhaps this would work." Ansem traced a symbol on the lock of the door.
With a hiss, the door opened slowly.
Stepping into the room, Gustav and Ansem gave a sigh of relief to have some solid ground finally beneath their feet.
"I'm not doing that again," Gustav noted.
"Detective, look at this."
A cathedral like structure lay before Gustav. It was cold and dimly lit, which gave it a grandeur scale. The faint cadence of mechanical devices and the beeping of electronic equipment echoed through the room.
As they descended a small flight of stairs, further details of the room came into view. Strange machinery functioned, carried out their unknown tasks. Pipes and tubes pulsated with an eerie rhythm as they filled large test tubes with fluids. Most of the tubes were empty.
At the other end of the room was a platform with nine test tubes that resembled a glass organ. A thick layer of ice hid their contents.
Ansem walked forward excitedly. This was the room he was looking for. Gustav was more cautious. Was this the place where they would find what Ansem had called "Abbey Dodson's homunculi?" They would finally reveal some answers.
Near the glass organ was the only piece of equipment that Gustav recognized. Computer monitors. On the screens, he could read the bio signs of the creatures inside the tubes. All were in the green. However, Gustav didn't understand what that meant.
As Ansem examined the tubes, Gustav began to investigate the computer equipment and the scattered files around them. Among them, he found Abbey Dodson's name, along with several others he didn't recognize.
Gustav glanced at the file with Abbey Dodson's name on it.
Most of the information was technical and couldn't make much out of it. However, several words stood out to him. Implantation was successful. Growth at steady rate. Subject health nominal. They filled the next page with a chart detailing whatever experiment they were doing on Abbey.
"What the hell did you got yourself into?" Gustav muttered.
Gustav decided to check the other files. All of them had female names. However, contents of these files detailed how unsuccessful the medical procedures had been for the girls. He couldn't take this files, for it would be stolen and it was missing an important detail. The name of the lead researcher of these ghoulish experiments. Gustav searched for pen and paper to write down the name of these girls and run them later at the police database. This was the break he was looking for.
He could even bring an entire squad down here to seize everything in the facility.
Ansem kept examining the crystal organ, searching for a way to look what was inside. Even from where he was standing, Gustav could feel the agitation in Ansem's actions.
Ansem turned his attention to the machines placed a few feet away from the crystal organ. A type-writer style keyboard lay in front of him. The screen of the machine flashed with cryptic information. Still, Ansem began to type.
"What are you doing?" Gustav asked.
The machine made a clicking noise and a warning light began to flash. The pipes connected to the test tubes began to palpitate. Ansem noticed that the frost covering the tubes began to thaw.
As the contents of the tubes were slowly being revealed, a shadow began to creep from the ceiling. It's movement so smooth and silent that Ansem and Gustav failed to hear it.
Finally, the tubes revealed their contents.
"I can't believe this." Gustav was startled at the revelation before his eyes.
Eight of the nine tubes held, deformed creatures. Their faces were closer to a normal human, unlike the other homunculi, these looked more feral, more monstrous. Their toes and fingers ended in sharp, hook-like claws.
However, the tube at the center was the most unbelievable of all.
It held a girl, her features were beautiful. Gustav calculated she could probably be in her mid to late teens. Upon closer inspection, he finally understood what Ansem meant by 'Abbey Dodson's homunculi.'
The girl resembled the victim of his murder case. But how could that be possible?
"If you're done gawking, help me get her out." Ansem ordered.
"What do you need me to do?"
"I'm going to lower her tube, and you keep her from falling."
The liquid in which the girl was floating began to drain, then a whirring sound filled the room as the tube began to lower into its base.
Gustav caught the girl as she fell. She was as light as a feather. His first instinct was to wrap her in his coat.
"Is this what you were looking for?" The girl's beauty enraptured Gustav.
"Correct," Ansem replied. "Now, let's find a way out of here."
The shadow that had been creeping on Gustav and Ansem landed on behind them.
Its amorphous shape changed from solid to liquid, blocking their path.
"That's far enough," a featureless voice echoed across the room. "You're not going to leave this place alive."